Five money management tools to keep your wallet in check

I admit; I wasn’t always on top of my own personal finances. However, thanks to a few handy personal finance apps, if you looked at my monthly finances now—you’d probably think I had a professional accountant on retainer. Hardly the case!

However, as soon as T-Mobile dropped Samsung’s new Galaxy Siii, I bought that sucker and hand selected a few smart phone finance apps that help me keep track of my personal money spending all on my mobile device. Not only do the following finance apps helps me keep my wallet in check even when I’m traveling for business or pleasure, they also keep me from doing anything stupid when let loose at an outlet mall.

Here are the top five personal finance apps that I use to for money management…

1. Easy Envelope Budget Aid (Free – for Android & iPhone)

The most unique thing about the Easy Envelope Budget Aid app compared to other personal finance apps of its kind is that this app can be shared if you happen to share a bank account or budget with a spouse or significant other. Not only does this app assign spending limits—it tracks finances collaboration style with real-time updates whenever a transaction occurs. Like the Expenditure app, this one also breaks spending down into categories, where you can assign certainly weekly or monthly budgets and see where the majority of you’re spending occurs.

2. Grocery Gadget ($2.99 – for Android, $3.99 – for iPhone)

I hate going to the grocery store right after I get paid. Why? Because I tend to overspend on stuff I don’t need—like gourmet ice cream, sea scallops, and designer cheeses (I’m so ashamed). However, the Grocery Gadget app is a digital grocery shopping list that organizes and streamlines my shopping trips. The app employs a digitized shopping list that even stores my items in the order they appear in the aisles at my usual market. Plus, if I buy certain items at other stores to save money, it stores those to mimic my routine shopping route.

3. Shoeboxed (Free – for Android & iPhone)

The Shoeboxed app saves me a ton come income tax time. By saving digitized copies of all of my receipts—I no longer have to go searching though my purse for crumpled receipts necessary to prove my tax write offs for things like gas, business travel expenses, client meals, and utilities. All I do now is take a photo of my receipt with my smart phone camera, and I’ll be treated to the digital copy of my transaction a few days later in my inbox.

4. Key Ring (Free – for Android & iPhone)

You know how it feels when you quickly go to the mall, drugstore, or gas station to make a quick purchase, but forget your loyalty card? It feels like a massive fail—all of those free points lost! Well the Key Ring app digitizes all your store loyalty cards in one place so you never have to carry the plastic cards again. This app stores all data electronically in a single app so you can redeem points and use e-coupons whenever you shop at participating stores.

5. Expenditure (Free – for Android)

This budgeting app is like the drill sergeant of money management! It keeps a detailed record of every transaction made by the user, which is especially helpful if you are trying to curb spending or monitor your expenses. Expenditure will also help you identify spending issues—for instance, after using this app for a week I started to notice that I spent a ridiculous amount of money eating out. This app let me track my spending by category so I got a clear view of where the majority of my money was being spent frivolously.

Bio: Jane Johnson is a staff writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone news, commentary, reviews and more.

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Last week, I was telling everyone how I had ended my college career standing on a pedestal of uncertainty.  I didn’t know where I was going to go or what I was going to do.  I wanted a job in the field of journalism but I was afraid of having to settle for something else just to pay the bills.

Thankfully, I had one option open to me. The direction my future would go rested on this one hand.  I was all in.  Would I hit a black jack or go bust?

I had first applied for this job in March, a few months before I was set to graduate.  The difficult part of trying to find a job while still in school is that most employers want you to start as soon as possible.  They don’t want to hire you and then have to wait six months for you to graduate.

But if you start to look for and apply for jobs too late then you run the risk of having to go through a long process of applying, interviewing, getting turned down and repeating the process.  That’s probably a good reason why it takes most graduates 4-6 months to find a full time job.

Anyway, I got a head start and had applied for a job as a reporter at a medium sized magazine.  It had some key points that drew me to it.  It was located in a place that didn’t get snow (that pretty much sold me right there) and it was a place that wasn’t losing subscribers, it was gaining them.  Not that many papers can say that anymore.

I was selected for a phone interview and it went pretty well, especially since it was my first interview for a professional job.  For about three nerve racking weeks I waited to hear back…and waited.  Then I waited some more.

Finally, I heard back and had been selected as one of three candidates they were going to fly down for an in person interview.  Since I had to come during the week and I couldn’t just bail on my classes right before finals we agreed to let me come after graduation.

So on Saturday I graduated.  On Sunday I moved all my things back into my parent’s house.  On Monday, I was on a plane to see what my future would hold.

The next day I went in for the interview, which lasted all day and was more of a ‘this is what we do here let’s see if you make a good fit’ type of interview.  I thought it went pretty well but really had nothing to judge my experience on.  I went back home and was told I could expect to hear from them in a few days.

About two weeks passed, and I’m a little worried.  I still hadn’t heard back either way and my funds were running a little low.  I was a little dispirited at this point.

I had let everything rest on this one job and I didn’t even know how much it paid because if it didn’t pay enough for me to live on my own and also be able to handle my student loans when they were due, then I couldn’t accept it anyways.

I was caught between waiting or finding a part time job while I started the job search process all over again.

Finally, my phone rang one day and I got the job offer.  It had better benefits than I could have hoped for and I would get paid enough to cover all my bills and I would have enough over to live on easy mac instead of ramen.

I wouldn’t be going on any crazy shopping sprees any time soon but it was enough to get by.  I accepted it right on the spot (I had enough time to think it all over that I didn’t need time to make my decision).

Afterwards, I figured out what made me stand out enough to make them want me on their team.  I share it hoping that I can help anyone who is having a difficult time finding and interviewing for a job.

Even though I was nervous before going into the interview and I wanted to make a good impression without being a stiff, unimaginative, corporate robot, I decided I was just going to be myself.  I answered everything honestly (without making myself look bad) but when I did I made sure I was showing who I was with those answers instead of sounding like a script I had practiced.

Most importantly, I asked questions.  The best advice I can give is come up with a lot of questions, even if they are small.  If you don’t ask any questions then the employer assumes you don’t even care enough about the job to learn more about the company and people you will be working for.

I also made sure they were questions that couldn’t be answered on their website and showed that I took time to think about it.  For example, I didn’t ask how big their circulation numbers were when I can find that information on a number of sites.

Instead, I asked how they are handling the impact of social media on their paper and how they are managing to keep readers going to their paper instead of the internet.

I also asked about the opportunity to gain more responsibilities and moving up in the pecking order, just to show that I planned on being there for a while to build my career.

There are thousands of tips and guidelines out there to help with the process of finding a job but for me I think it’s simple.

Be honest, be yourself and think outside the box.

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There I was, staring graduation right in the face with mixed feelings of excitement, anticipation and downright fear.  That was last May and at that point I didn’t have any job offers and for the first time in my life, I didn’t have a plan.  But surprisingly, I was calm.  It seemed pretty normal not to have a job lined up right after graduation; at least most of my friends didn’t either.

However, this is a little surprising for me because as I stated before I’ve always had a plan.  Ever since I was 10-years-old I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it.  You could call me driven or even a workaholic.

Here are some things you should know about me and how I got to where I am today.  I’m 22 years old and I’ve been in the working world for about 10 months now.

I grew up in a small Midwestern town.  A town that’s so small, you could almost call it a village.  That’s right, I was a farm girl.  We may not have had a lot of things in my hometown.  Actually, one grocery store, a gas station and a handful of restaurants were about all we had.

But there’s one thing this small town did have – my dad.  He’s the one who started it all and got me to where I am today and he doesn’t even know it.

I was an ambitious little tyke and at about the age of 3 I started bugging him to teach me how to read.  I wanted to learn and gosh darn it, I wanted to do it now.  (Patience is something I have yet to master).

So my dad did what his little girl wanted, he taught me to read.  It wasn’t long before I consumed every book I could get my hands on and from there my love of words spread like wild flower.

It was around the time I was in the fourth grade that I realized I wanted to write, either as a novelist or a journalist. That’s when I made my first life plan and it went a little something like this:  I will work hard, get into a good college, and soon I’ll be doing what I love.

I went on to high school and set my plans in motion to get into a good college.   Towards graduation my resume looked a little something like this:  I was a varsity athlete in four sports all four years, I held the same job since before it was even legal for me to work, I volunteered my time as a Big in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, my G.P.A. was around a 3.5 and not only was I a part of the National Honor Society, I was the president.  (I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, I didn’t sleep, I survived on about four hours of sleep a night).

After four years of hard work I did indeed get into the college I wanted.  There was only one I had my mind set on and it’s because it had a great journalism program which is what I had decided on at that point.

Unfortunately for me it cost about $34,000 per year and my scholarships only covered about $20,000.  So I did what most college students do and I took out loans.  But that’s a topic for another day.

During college I decided against being an athlete because I wanted to dedicate my time to doing what I can to advance my career.  For the first year I was a lowly reporter for my college’s newspaper but it was enough in addition to the two other jobs I was working and the intramurals I just couldn’t bear to part with.

But it didn’t take me long to get myself a larger role.

By the time I was a sophomore I was heading the paper as the managing editor and kept that position for three years.  It’s a good thing I had practice in surviving on no sleep.

I knew that getting a good job after graduation would take more than just running the newspaper.  So by the time May rolled around I had two internships under my belt – one was at a magazine in England that I did over the summer after my sophomore year and the other was working for a hometown non-profit organization in their media department for two years.

Along the way, I earned myself a number of awards and accolades to put on my resume as well as some great recommendations.

Fast forward to graduation and after all that hard work I had put in since I was a tiny little munchkin and there I was without a clue as to where I was going to from there.

Now the story does have a happy ending – sort of.

I did find a job as a reporter about a month after graduation but I can’t say it’s been easy.  I’m barely keeping my head above water but all I can say is at least I’m out here doing it on my own.

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While it is virtually impossible for one to be 100% fool-proof in predicting a good or bad investment, it is possible to narrow down the playing field by following several basic principles of wise investing. This basic overview will help ensure beginning or advanced investors a margin of error when investing their funds for a good return earning.

Taking One’s Time

Whenever one has made the decision to invest a certain amount of money, the first thing that needs to be established is that it will take time to devise the following principles and a subsequent financial strategy. Investing for one’s future is definitely not something to just plunge into without careful thought and consideration.

The lightening-fast nature of the Internet is conducive and geared towards convincing surfers to make quick, impetuous decisions. Consequently, this fact needs to be on one’s mind continuously before making any investment decisions.

Know How Much Risk One Is Willing To Tolerate

Knowing the difference between an average savings/money market account and investment vehicles which form part of a portfolio is vitally important when making successful investment decisions.

Typically, knowing that most investments such as: insurance, bonds, shares, commodities and U.S. Treasuries are not insured by any means is crucially important. These are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), backed as are savings accounts. The very best one can hope to invest in are low-risk entities such as U.S. Treasuries.

Do Not Succumb To Pressure

Generally, families, friends and the shoe-shine boy on the corner will all offer financial advice. Most of it will not be qualified, expert advice. Most of them will know of a cheap insurance policy, promising stock or a well-performing company that has good future potential.

Whatever they may advise or try to push, in order to avoid bad investments, it is crucial for a person to not succumb to outside pressure.

Research Well Before Investing

In today’s highly volatile, economic environment, it is primordial to carefully research a particular financial vehicle which carries out one’s financial goals the most. Carefully checking out the specific investment offered, competitive offers from other sources and how well the investment is performing is a crucial prerequisite.

Equally important is carefully researching the reputation, integrity, and historical track record of the financial institution offering the investment. This is just as important as the investment itself.

Basic Tips:

* Take time to implement a savings and/or an investment plan with a diversified portfolio.
* Determine how much risk one is willing to assume: research which investments are insured, non-secured and/or low-risk.
* Never bow down to friendly advice if it does not adhere to one’s short, medium or long-range goals.

Whether it is cheap insurance, good insurance or just plain U.S. Savings Bonds, in today’s unstable economy one cannot ever be 100% certain in investing. However, choosing wisely will definitely be an asset in achieving success or avoiding financial disaster and cutting the risks.

Nina Bernice is the author of this post and she manages the site CheapInsurance123.

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Hi Readers!

Today we have a guest post by Debt Consolidation Care specialist, Samantha Spuckler.  Enjoy!

4 Signs of Yet Another Slump in the US – Is a Double-Dip Recession ‘Round the Corner?

After the Standard & Poor’s stripped off the pristine credit rating of the US and cut it to AA+, the fretting consumers are now worried about the US economic data that shows a double-dip recession is around the corner. The recent news on the GDP, or the Gross Domestic Product, shows that the double-dip is about to come.

There is an expansion of 1.3% and the consumer spending is up by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2011. The debt ceiling issues, the lack of long-term resolution about dealing with the budget deficit and recently the credit downgrade will make the situation worse. Though the US has entered yet another recession, experts are of the opinion that this one will not be as harmful as the first one.

There’s no surprise that most Americans wondered why the economic recession is still in progress as the home prices have fallen to drastic levels, same as that of 2002. The home values have dropped to almost 50% in states like Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada.

The most influential argument that can say that the recession never ended and that yet another double-dip recession is around the corner is the rate of unemployment within the US. Still now 14 million people not working and are struggling hard to keep up with their debt obligations. Have a look at some signs that show that a double-dip recession is almost around the corner.

1. Inflation:

Nothing can damage the confidence of the consumers as badly as the speedy rise in the prices of goods. There is a company that has augmented the price of a bag of tea by at least 18% as he says that the wholesale prices have already been increased by almost twice the rate in 2010. The price of cotton almost doubled in 2010 but has fallen in 2011. However since the apparels have been made months ago, consumers are subject to increased prices on clothes made of cotton.

2. The Auto Industry:

The car industry in the US has staged a comeback although the profitability is usually based on the layoffs that it has made over the last 5 years. Big giant companies like GM and Chrysler have emerged from bankruptcy and year after year the sales have improved. The revenue of GM dropped by 1% compared to that of May, 2010. The consumers are stepping back while making big purchases within this industry as they’re too worried about the economic prospects.

3. Lesser Yields on Investments:

Portion of the US economic revival was driven by the surging stock market. The stock market index has climbed above 12,000 and the prices of stocks have already doubled from their lows. As a result, the American investments that were destroyed by the collapse have yet again bounced back and enabled many people to splurge more than before. Now Americans have fewer places to invest their money except gold. The present market will not pose to be a friend to the investors.

4. Unemployment Rate:

A high unemployment rate creates two basic problems within an economy. Either the people without jobs curtail their spending so much that this affects the GDP or there is need of billions of dollars every year in the form of government aid to help the unemployment from becoming destitute.

Financial economists point out that this leverage helped contribute to the credit crunch within the US as an increasingly large number of people are unable to cover the costs of mortgage loans, home equity loans or even credit cards. The ability to consume things was severely damaged as their incomes have been stagnated. In a nutshell, there is no relief in sight for the US economy!

Samantha Spuckler is a writer for various finance related Communities including Debt Consolidation Care. She is a financial writer by profession and has specialization in dealing with financial problems and its solutions. Visit debtCC on Facebook: facebook.com/debtconsolidationcare

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Since the Great Recession began, American households have been saving more of their income.  The recession, and its effects: unemployment, stagnant incomes, eroded consumer confidence, have shifted the way many people view their money.  Once the recovery began, people regained some confidence in the banking sector and many were looking for a safe place to put their money.  Rather than gamble in a volatile stock market, millions of families instead chose to put their money in that staple of the American economy: a savings account.  Unfortunately, with a stark decrease in spending, the drive to save more money has made the recovery harder and longer than usual.  However, it has greatly bolstered the bottom lines of millions of households that were in debt.

Unfortunately, low interest has had some negative effects on the economy.  With historically low interest rates, individuals who rely on interest income, such as retirees, have seen their yield drop dramatically.  Pension funds have also been hurt by a Federal Reserve policy that was put into place to help mitigate some of the economic damage of the recession and prime the pump of recovery.  Despite this, overall household debt, which includes credit cards, mortgages, student loans and car loans, has declined precipitously since late 2008.  Americans have paid off over $1 trillion in debt.  Making your money work for you means that you become savvy about your saving practices.

The Federal Reserve website provides a fantastic resource for those seeking information on monetary policy.  It provides useful information, such as the daily interest rate.  Individuals concerned about money management closely follow many of the fed indexes so that they will be able to make the most informed decisions regarding their money.

There are a few places where people can obtain reasonable money market rates.  By placing your money in a safe, steady yielding savings account, you can watch your debt shrink while your money grows.  The recession decimated the wealth of the American people and put a strain on many American families that were already struggling.  Those who learned how to make smart monetary decisions and exercise patience will be ones to see a steady increase in their finances despite Federal Reserve monetary policy.

Interest must increase at some point in the future.  This will have negative consequences for many individuals and families as payments on everything from mortgages to student loans will increase.  However, those who have built up a solid savings account will only continue to prosper from smart money management.  Frugality is still in fashion.

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• Finding The Best Holiday Deals: Why This Economy Is Perfect For Bargain Hunters
• Bernanke and Co. Pulling Out All The Stops

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In this age of fly-by-night fame, there is still room for talent.  Creative people will always have a vaunted place in society.  Unfortunately, many companies feel that they do not have access to this vast pool of talent because of their location and they do not have the resources to make it to Los Angeles or New York.  For businesses, companies, or individuals looking for the solution to all of their production needs Studio Center Total Production has the answer.

Studio Center is one of most rapidly expanding production companies because they only offer their clients the highest quality services.  Having clients in every state and a large number of countries throughout the world is a testament to their commitment to excellence.  No matter what your specific needs are, Studio Center is well suited to meet them.  Whether you are looking for voice-over talent, video production, or music production, Studio Center promises to deliver perfection.

The company made their reputation by delivering high quality radio spots.  Since then, Studio Center has expanded their audio production services into a variety of new avenues.  Popular television shows and movies take advantage of the company’s wide variety of audio services.  They provide everything from voice-talent to producers and are more than capable of meeting any audio post production needs.

Studio Center is also able to meet your video production needs.  They provide directors, editors, and producers and are able to shoot video creatively, efficiently, and at a reasonable price.  For many companies, advertising plays a crucial role in their business strategy.  Having well-produced video is a key component of any successful marketing strategy.  Studio Center is there to meet your needs.

Having the competitive edge, whether personally or professionally, is critical if any venture is is going to be successful.  Whether it is television producer who needs new voice talent or a marketing director who needs a compelling radio spot, Studio Center Total Production is a company that lives up to its name.

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Electronic commerce is nearly ubiquitous.  Online retail sales have been increasing substantially every year, reaching nearly $200 billion this year.  This has inspired many people to start their own e-commerce business.  While nearly all of the major retail companies have an online presence, there is still plenty of room for creative entrepreneurs to ensure that their goods and services reach the market.  However, before you enter the e-commerce market there are a few things to consider including, market research, securing funding, and obtaining a good technology lawyer.  Creating and following a solid business plan are the fundamental keys to success in any venture.

When conducting market research, there are many important factors to consider.  Before anything, you must be sure that a market exists for your good or service.  Once you determine whether a market exists, whether broad or niche, you must make be sure that you can make the product and have it delivered in a timely and cost-effective fashion.  Going broke in order to produce something that will net you minimal or even negative return on your investment is a bad business strategy.

The next thing potential electronic commerce entrepreneurs must do is secure funding.  The amount of start-up money you will need depends on the size of your business and your long-term goals for expansion.  There are many ways to obtain funding.  Many businesses use their own money and reinvest any profits they make back into the business.  Others obtain SBA bank loans or receive other types of financing through either community bank branches or the much larger national ones.  Utilizing a venture capital firm is another way to obtain financing, although the venture capital firm becomes a part owner of the business and often has stringent stipulations regarding their investment returns.  Regardless of which vehicle you used to get financed, it is imperative that you have a well developed business plan that lays out your short-term and long-term goals.

Obtaining a lawyer well versed in technology will help you navigate the tricky minefield of international technology law.  As you business grows and prospers and as the Internet, including e-commerce, because more regulated, a good lawyer or international e-commerce firm can help you with everything from patent law to non-disclosure agreements.  It is one of the crucial steps in running an organized, profitable business.  Following these steps will not ensure success, but they will provide a basic path, coupled with some inspiration and hard work, that will put you on path to profitability.

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Computers have become more complex and advanced.  As a result, many people are completely unaware of how to fix some of the most common computer problems.  Whether you utilize your computer for business, personal, or a combination of both, it is essential to have a clean and efficient computer that is virus and spy-ware free.  Unfortunately, many users are plagued by slow registries, duplicate files, spy-ware, and any number of computer problems.  If you are suffering from any of these problems and they are causing you to have a slow computer, you should begin using Auslogics’ software.

In business since 2008, Auslogics is quickly becoming synonymous with powerful, reliable software that greatly optimizes computers and boosts functionality.  The company has received awards and been recognized by CNet as the best disk defragmenter.  Auslogics offers a range of products designed to meet your computing needs.  They offer anti-virus, registry cleaner, and file recovery programs among many others.

For those looking to speed up computer, Auslogics makes a fantastic piece of software designed to provide solutions to your problems.  The Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 boasts computing speed by cleaning up your registry, frees up disc, and speeds up your Internet connection.  It has a number of features that make it a wonderful addition to your software library and you soon find it an essential tool that ensures complete software functionality.

As we begin to rely on computers to perform more complex tasks, it is incumbent upon users to make sure that their computers are operating at optimal capacity.  Auslogics is a respected company with a line of proven products that will ensure your computer remains healthy.

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In the Digital Age, information is transmitted nearly instantly.  People across the world use the internet to conduct an increasing number of transactions.  Many of those transactions require you to provide a certain amount of information.  This has led to an exponential increase in identity theft crimes.  Identity theft is broadly defined as the criminal acquisition and use of another individual’s private information.  Most identity thefts are committed for financial gain.  However, identity thieves steal information for a variety of nefarious reasons.  That is why it is essential that you protect your privacy.  IdentityHawk provides you with the tools that you need to protect you from identity theft and identity fraud.

IdentityHawk provides customers with a comprehensive set of options designed to deter even the most ardent thieves.  The site offers an identity health score, which helps users ascertain their current level of risk.  They provide constant monitoring and analysis of billions of records and you will receive a text or email alert if they detect any suspicious activity.  This type of diligence is essential if you are one of a growing number of people who conduct the majority of their personal and business affairs over the internet.

Identity thieves rely on complacency to conduct their crimes.  If people remain diligent and steadfast, they will greatly diminish their chances of being victimized.  Thieves are continuously creating new schemes in order to steal your identity unsuspectingly.  If you are seeking quality and effective identity theft protection, IdentityHawk has the solution.

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